At Last
by WeasleySeeker
Summary: It's five years after Hogwarts, and Oliver Wood thinks he's got his life sorted: a successful career, a nice house and a fiancée he thinks he loves. But what happens when he bumps into a face from the past in Diagon Alley?


_She's three years younger. It could never happen, _he told himself. _It would be too weird._

Three years doesn't sound like a long time. It isn't, in the bigger picture. But when you're at school, three years is a pretty big age gap. At eighteen, Oliver Wood's future was not so distant: he had taken his NEWTs, secured a place on the Puddlemere reserve team, was ready to set off out into the world. But for Katie Bell, at just fifteen, the future was misty. She didn't care, though. She didn't even need to start deciding what she wanted to do with the rest of her life – not yet, anyway. She didn't need to worry; she just needed to enjoy the next three years of her life and see where they took her. Who was Oliver to take that away from her?

In the Quidditch season, it was fine; he could watch her passionate expression when she flew, streaking across the pitch, looking nothing short of radiant. He could laugh at her silly jokes in training; he could call out her name when he wanted to pass her the Quaffle; he could even watch her look of sheer concentration when she aimed and shot, and the look of ecstasy when she succeeded and scored. He could envelop her in his arms, kiss her cheek, when they celebrated goals and victories. He was her captain. It wasn't weird or wrong.

But that all changed when the Quidditch season ended. His _final_ Quidditch season.

He was overcome with feelings. Not just joy and relief that they had finally won, after all these years, and pride at how well his team had played, but grief and sadness that this was the end: it was the last time he would play with these people. But he tried not to dwell on these feelings as he celebrated with his team and they did a lap of honour, and they lifted the trophy together. The noise from the crowd was tumultuous, and Oliver drank it all in. He looked at the expressions on his wonderful team's faces, and his gaze lingered on Katie for just a second too long. She caught his eye and said something, but the spectators were so ear-splittingly loud that he couldn't decipher it. He just nodded enthusiastically, pretending to have heard, and let himself be dragged up to the common room to continue the celebrations.

And then it was all over. He was just another seventh-year; she was just another fourth-year. That was how it should have been. But he shouldn't have been so transfixed by her, shouldn't have wanted to say more than just a casual "hey" when he passed her in corridors, shouldn't have felt anger build up inside him when he saw her with other boys. He tried to convince himself that it was brotherly love, that it was natural for him to be protective of his team, but he knew that it was irrational. He never felt that way about Angelina or Alicia, for example. He didn't understand what made Katie so different from the others. But it was definitely something, and he didn't have a clue what to make of it.

* * *

It was his last day at Hogwarts – that, in itself, messed with his head. The thought that he would probably never walk the halls, eat at the dining tables or sleep in the four-poster bed in the place that he had spent more time in over the last seven years than his own home again was very strange. But, more than that, there was also the fact that he would never fly across that pitch, with them, with _her_, ever again. That was heartbreaking.

He just _had_ to fly there one last time. All of his things were packed into his trunk, as were his room-mates', and he took what should have been one last look around the dorm, which was spotless (unlike it ever was when there were teenage boys living in there).It made him shudder; he didn't belong there any more; Hogwarts, in barely any time whatsoever, would no longer be his home. What he thought he needed was some normality, and he checked his watch, to see if he had enough time to try and get some. There was still... an hour or so before the train left. He would be cutting it fine, but it would be worth it. One last happy memory of the castle; that was all he wanted.

Broom in hand, he strode through the corridors and out into the refreshing air of the grounds. When he finally reached the Quidditch pitch, he was not expecting to see his team there, waiting. It seemed as though they were waiting for _him_.

"See, I told you he'd come!" Katie told her team-mates gleefully over their applause at his arrival.

Oliver was speechless. "I... what is all this?" he finally managed to say.

"Our little farewell to you," explained Fred, grinning.

"As much as your training sessions destroy our bodies, Quidditch won't be the same without you," George admitted, with a hint of gloom to his expression. Maybe he would even _miss_ Wood's training sessions.

"I... but... how did you know I'd be here?" Oliver demanded, bemused at this.

"It was all Katie's idea," said Alicia. "She insisted that you would come."

"And you did," Katie pointed out. "I know you too well, Oliver."

Oliver stood there dumbly for a minute, unable to work out whether she meant anything by that, or if he was just imagining things that weren't really there.

Angelina broke the silence. "Go on then, Oliver. What are you waiting for? I could do with one last training session; apparently, I'm the favourite to become Quidditch captain next year."

Oliver came out of his daze. "Oh. Right. Yes, of course. Into your positions," he barked suddenly, back to his normal self, and everyone jumped, but he could see the relief on their faces that their old captain was back.

Looking around the circle at the beaming faces of his team, Oliver noticed a gap. "Where's Harry?" he asked.

"Madam Pomfrey wanted to give him one last check-up before he left," Fred informed him. Oliver nodded. That made sense. Nobody knew exactly what had happened to Harry, Ron and Hermione a few nights ago, only that it had involved the Whomping Willow, a werewolf and the capture and escape of Sirius Black.

"Never mind," said Oliver. "We'll just have to do without him. Close up the gap, then!"

They began the training in the standard way with passing the Quaffle around the circle. Just like old times, they went through many of Oliver's favourite drills and even managed to fit in a mini game, although without the Snitch. Soon, however, their time together drew to a close.

"Right, I think we'll have to call it a day," Oliver called sadly. The team flew down gathered around him. "I just want to say what an amazing seven years it has been working with you guys. True, we only ever won once, but I've learnt so much, and without you I don't think I would be where I am now. I just want to wish you -"

"Oh, come off it, Oliver," George interrupted.

"You're going all soft on us!" Fred exclaimed.

"You wouldn't want us to change our impression of you," Katie giggled, joining in with the banter.

Oliver laughed weakly. He was getting a little emotional at the thought that this might be the last time he saw his team. "Right, well... that's it from me then. You'd better hurry if you want to be in time for the train. I'll clear this lot up," he said, partly because he wanted an excuse to hide his feelings.

There was a chorus of "Good luck!" and "Bye, Oliver!" and "We'll miss you, Oliver!", which he acknowledged with a wave, and then turned away to pack away the Quaffle, and make sure the Bludgers were fastened in securely; nobody wanted the Bludgers flying all around the school over the summer.

Lifting up the crate, he was surprised to see Katie still there, rather than having gone off with all the others.

"All right, Katie?" he asked cheerfully.

"Yeah, I was just wondering if you wanted some help with those," she said, indicating the Beaters' bats that were on the ground by his feet.

"Yes, please," he accepted, smiling. It would be nice to have some company, he thought, as Katie picked up the bats, and they set off towards the broom cupboard together.

"So is it Puddlemere you've signed for?" she enquired, even though he was sure that he had already told her.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "I can't wait to start training."

"Great."

There was a brief silence between them. Luckily, the broom cupboard wasn't quite far enough away for it to become awkward.

Oliver replaced the crate in its usual place for the last time, his hands lingering on the crate for a moment, before he tried to gather himself together; there was no need to be _this_ emotional.

"Here you go," said Katie, passing him the bats.

"Thanks."

He locked the door, and they couldn't help but linger outside for a minute, staring into each other's eyes.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, Katie threw her arms around him. "I'm really going to miss you, Oliver," she confessed.

Oliver patted her on the back warily. "I'll miss you too, Katie." _An older brother_. That's what he was to her. _Nothing more_. But as he tightened his hold around her, he couldn't help wondering if she really felt like that.

They broke apart. Suddenly, neither knew what to say.

It was now or never.

"Katie, I-"

"Oliver-"

They had both spoken at the same time. They chuckled feebly.

"You first," Katie said.

"I..." Oliver began. He chickened out. "I... was just going to say we'd better hurry if we don't want to miss the train."

"Oh." Did he detect disappointment in her voice? Surely not.

"What did you want to say?" Oliver asked hesitantly.

"Oh... it doesn't matter," she said quickly. "Just... the same thing as you."

"Oh... okay."

So they went their separate ways; Katie to join her friends, who had already taken her luggage to the coaches for her, Oliver for one last journey through the castle to collect his trunk. And that was it.

She was three years younger. _Three years_. She was only fifteen. She didn't deserve the weight of a long distance relationship on her shoulders. She deserved someone her own age, someone she could have fun with, like a normal teenager. Oliver needed to move on.

* * *

He thought he had. Five years later, things were going well for him - the war was over, he had a successful Quidditch career, which he earned a fair amount of gold from, a nice house, even a beautiful fiancée who he thought he loved. But that all changed when, just by chance, they came across each other in Diagon Alley.

Funnily enough, Quality Quidditch Supplies was where they met. He saw her first, and his heart leapt. She was reading the backs of the tins of broom polish, her face creased adorably into that look of concentration she would wear whilst shooting, all those years ago. He didn't know what to do. This was the girl he had tried his hardest to forget about over the last few years. Would he give in to temptation and speak to her? What would he say? He hadn't seen her since the War, when they all fought together at the Battle of Hogwarts – and that was a _war_. They hadn't exactly had time to hang around and chat then.

Unsure what to do, he walked the other way around the stand she was at, to give him some time to think, hopefully allowing him to walk away if he wanted to. But that he didn't get. She saw him before he had a chance to get his head straight.

"Hey! Oliver!" she called, waving as though it had been yesterday since they last spoke.

"Katie," he said, as she almost ran over towards him. "Wow. It's been a while."

"It certainly has," she agreed. "It's funny that we would meet in here, of all places!"

"Yeah," he said, nodding, "weird."

"I'm just getting some polish, obviously," she told him, indicating the tin in her hand. "Do you know which the best sort is? I've never known; they all look the same to me, and I get the same results," she jabbered on, trying to fill the silence.

"Not that one," said Oliver firmly, taking it out of her hand and replacing it back on the shelf. "It's tacky. Take this one instead," he said, handing her a much more posh-looking tin. "It's quite a bit more expensive, but it's worth it because you won't have to use as much."

"Okay, I'll take your word for it," she said, beaming. "I can't believe we haven't _really _seen each other for five years! That's crazy!" There was a brief silence. "So what are you doing in here, anyway? Don't you get all your Quidditch stuff from your sponsors?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't seem right to be in Diagon Alley and not to come here," he admitted. It was true; that shop had almost been his second home as a child.

"Yeah, I feel like that sometimes too," Katie laughed. She checked her watch. "Look, I'd better go and pay for this and then I really need to do a few things, but I think we need a proper catch-up. How about lunch later… if you're free, of course?"

"Sure," Oliver agreed, grinning.

"Okay, shall we say 2 at that café opposite Madam Malkin's?" she asked.

"Sounds good to me," he said, nodding.

"Great!" She started off towards the checkout, but Oliver stopped her.

"Katie!" he called. She turned back round. "It's really good to see you again," he told her.

"And you," she said, grinning. "Don't be late!" she teased.

* * *

He wasn't late. He was early, in fact. And she was late. He acquired a table by the window so he could look out for her out of the window, whilst the waiter kept coming over to him and asking if he was ready to order, and Oliver had to tell him that he was _still_ waiting for someone. He could see the smirk on the waiter's face, as he thought he had been stood up.

But, eventually, Katie arrived.

"Sorry," she said breathlessly, giving him a brief one-armed hug, "there was a queue in Flourish and Blott's. Took forever. I think the cashier almost had a panic attack, since the queue ended up going out the door!"

Oliver shook his head at her in mock disappointment as she sat down. "Just like old times," he said. "Honestly, five minutes early is on time!" That was one of his old catchphrases as a captain.

Katie laughed. "Shush, you. Oh," she said, as the waiter arrived back, "I haven't even looked at the menu yet."

Oliver gave his order. "I'd like the club sandwich, please. And Butterbeer to drink."

The waiter nodded as he noted it down on his pad. "And for your girlfriend?"

"Oh, no, she's not -"

"We're not -" they both said at the same time and laughed. The waiter rolled his eyes.

When the waiter had left, they resumed their conversation from earlier.

"So anyway, Oliver Wood, what are you doing with your life, other than being an ultra-successful professional Keeper?"

Oliver grinned at the compliment. "Uh, well... not much, really. If I'm not training, I'm doing interviews or photo shoots."

"Well, I guess you would be, wouldn't you," she said, nodding. "But you must have a life outside the game. Is there a special lady?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "We're engaged, actually."

Katie gasped. "No way! And where's my wedding invite?" she asked indignantly.

"It's early days yet," Oliver said truthfully. "We haven't set a date yet."

"Fair enough. But I'll be expecting one, Oliver Wood," she told him, threateningly, though he could tell she was joking. She couldn't threaten anyone if her life depended on it. "So, you must tell me all about her. What's her name? What's she like? Is she pretty?"

"Shona. She's very pretty. And she's... she's a journalist," he said lamely. He was finding it difficult to compliment his fiancée when the girl he dreamed about for all his teenage years was sitting right opposite him, funnier, lovelier and more beautiful than she ever was at Hogwarts. Katie looked slightly worried that he couldn't say anything more about her.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, before Oliver changed the subject. "So what about you? What are you doing these days?"

The relief was evident on Katie's face. "I'm training to be a Healer," she said quickly.

"Oh?" Oliver asked, interested.

"Yeah, I'm in my second year of training now," she told him. "I love it!"

"I can imagine you being good at that," he told her truthfully. She had exactly the right manner and personality to be a Healer, he thought. "Although I will admit, I always expected you to go down the Quidditch route."

"Oh, don't be silly, Oliver," she laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I loved it, and I've kept it up in my free time, but it's just a hobby now. I'm not good enough to get into professional Quidditch; you're only saying that because you were my captain."

"No, honestly! You were a really excellent Chaser. And I've seen a lot of them in my time."

Katie blinked. "Seriously? You actually noticed me? I was always outshone by Angelina. She was the talented one."

Oliver shook his head. "You were never outshone by anyone, Katie."

Katie was stunned. She was just an ordinary girl who blended into the background in a group of intelligent people; she wasn't used to being noticed, not least by _Oliver Wood_.

They were drawn together, as if by a magnetic force, both their bodies automatically moving closer together over the table between them. It was as though they _were_ on a date.

Before he realised what he was doing, their lips touched. The feel of her lips, the lips that he had dreamed of for the best part of a decade, on his, made his heart speed up.

Katie froze. She managed to gather the strength to pull away before anything really happened. "Oliver..." she began.

Oliver stood up suddenly, suddenly realising just _what_ he had done. He had a fiancée who he _loved_; how could he do this to her? "I have to go," he said abruptly, and set off towards the door, throwing five galleons onto the table to cover his uneaten lunch.

"Oliver, wait!" she called after him. "Let's talk about this!"

He ignored her and kept walking, past all the bustling shops, through the Leaky Cauldron and out into the hiving streets of Muggle London, where he was nobody. Here, he could blend in; he could submit to his thoughts and understand just how, in the space of five minutes, he could have gone from remembering his crush on Katie, to kissing her, to loving it, to shock, and finally to wherever the hell he was then.

He walked aimlessly through the streets. What was it with girls and talking about things that he really didn't want to talk about? That's what Shona was like. She wanted to know every single thing about his life prior to their meeting (and there were some things, some _people_, that he really didn't want her to know about), and everywhere he went and everything he did now.

But he was an awful, _awful_ person for betraying his fiancée, and he could never trust himself to see Katie again. His life was sorted, and so was hers. They couldn't disturb that now. He could have walked away from her in the shop, and they could never have seen each other again. He couldn't let it happen again, especially since it had been _him_ who had kissed her in the café. What did that make him?

* * *

Shona came over that night, as usual, since they were getting married, after all. Oliver was greeted with a kiss on the cheek and then a repulsed expression.

"What?" he demanded.

"This place is a tip," she exclaimed. "You have dirty laundry all over your floor._ Dirty laundry_! You're not a teenage boy any more, Oliver."

"I know, I know," he said exasperatedly. "I just haven't had much time to clean the flat, okay?"

"Yeah, well you'd better _make_ time when we're married and I have to inhabit the same living space as you. I won't be cleaning up your mess."

"I'm sure you won't," Oliver muttered bitterly. "Oh hey, Shona. Yes, my day's been fine, thanks. How was yours?"

Her expression softened. "Sorry," she said, kissing him tenderly. "Yeah, you can probably tell that it wasn't great. Got rejected by the Daily Prophet _again_."

"Oh no, I'm sorry," said Oliver sincerely, getting over the brief anger attack, which seemed not to have a cause at all. Maybe it was just his guilty conscience reacting; he didn't know. Whatever the reason, he needed to make an effort to cheer her up. "Well, I've got a _fantastic_ dinner cooking to cheer you up."

Shona beamed. "I'm so glad I'm marrying a man who can cook," she sighed. "Maybe it makes up for the fact that he has no concept of personal hygiene."

Shona waited for him in the dining room while he prepared the food. Their relationship had been like this a lot lately, lots of tiresome bickering that always marred the night, even if they got over it. Normally, Oliver would put up with it; it came with all relationships. But tonight, it annoyed him more than ever. Especially since there was a girl in his thoughts that he thought it could never, ever happen with. He had just happened to nearly - okay, actually - kiss her, even though he was engaged to be _married_; he didn't even ask her if she was with anyone. He thought she was probably with Zach Smith; he had always thought there'd be something there. But he had to get Katie off his mind; this was him and Shona, and he had promised himself that he would stop thinking about Katie.

He laid the steaming plates of food onto the table and the idle chatter began, Shona starting the conversation, naturally.

"So I'm wondering what to wear for the Quibbler launch next Tuesday, and you should definitely wear something that matches, all the cameras will be on us..."

Only the word 'Tuesday' registered. "Tuesday? You know I have training on Tuesdays," Oliver said. "Of course I'm not going."

"What?" Shona demanded. "But you _said_! The Daily Prophet won't have me, but the Quibbler is the next biggest thing! Give me some support here, Oliver! I _told_ you when it was, and you said it was fine! I assumed your training was cancelled or something, I don't know!"

"Cancelled? Shona, I always have training on Tuesdays. It doesn't _get_ cancelled. It's my job! I can't miss it to go to some fancy party! I probably said it was fine because I assumed you wouldn't be asking such a stupid question! What kind of a day is _Tuesday_ to have a party on, anyway?"

"Well, I don't know, do I?" she retorted angrily, her eyes blazing in a way that didn't make her more attractive. When Katie got mad…_no_! He had to stop thinking about her! "_I_ don't choose the date, do I? I sacrifice a lot for you to go off and play all day, you know? I go to _all_ of your matches. And you can't be bothered to come to this one thing for me."

Oliver was shocked into silence. _Play_? She made it sound like a kids' game, rather than something that earned him a _lot_ of money, and was something that he adored. This would never happen with Katie. Katie _got_ Quidditch. She understood Oliver's feelings towards it - it was his passion, the reason for his existence; he was sure of it. How could Shona want to take that away from him…for a _party_?

As Oliver tried to think of a worthy reply, Shona had started another monologue, expecting Oliver to pay attention to her droning. It was as though she had forgotten that she was arguing with him before; this was back to her usual thing, something that he always zoned out on anyway… he still could not understand how her moods could change so rapidly.

"And I was thinking for the colour scheme for the wedding, maybe we could have a theme? Like sunset, or peacocks or something. I know someone who's doing that. Oliver? Are you listening?"

He sighed. "Of course I am. No, I don't think we should." He tried to keep his voice calm, though he was still seething inside at how quickly she could forget that they were arguing, and could never accept that _she _was in the wrong. (Although he hadn't exactly acted like a saint of late...)

"You don't? Well, what shall we do instead? I like purple for weddings, although not too dark, otherwise it gets to funeral-like. What do you think?"

"No, Shona, you don't understand me," Oliver said slowly. "I don't think we should, because... because I can't marry you, Shona." It was out of the blue, and he almost regretted the words as they came out of his mouth, yet he didn't care. It was too late for that. Ever since earlier in the day, he had been sure that the gnawing feeling in his stomach was right, that to marry his fiancée would be a mistake.

There was a silence, one that he didn't want to break. "Wh-What?"

"I can't marry you. Not if you can't share me with my job. Quidditch is my life, Shona. I thought you understood that." He didn't want to hurt her – as hard as he found it to live with her, he did love her. Of course he did. Why else would they have got engaged in the first place? Seeing Katie again didn't change that. It just awakened him to the flaws in the relationship. And ensured that he would never, ever be able to live with them again.

"I... I do. Sort of. Doesn't mean I have to like it," she said, after a while, sounding calmer than Oliver could have ever imagined, from drama-queen Shona. "Come on, Oliver. That can't be the reason. Otherwise you'd have ended it months ago. What's the real reason?"

Oliver hesitated, but he owed her the truth. "Okay, Shona. You're not going to like this." He took a deep breath. "There's this girl."

Shona's hand jumped to her mouth. She shook her head slowly. "Please, God, don't let this be happening to me. You're not serious?"

"Do you really think I would joke about something like this?" Oliver asked, looking at her with sorrow; he didn't want to have to do this, but to lie to her would be worse. "Don't worry, nothing's happened. I would never do that to you, Shona. I swear."

"Really?" she asked sceptically, her voice sardonic as she appraised his expression. "You're leaving me for another woman and you expect me to believe that nothing's happened? Are you on crack, or something? Are you on drugs, and that's why you're leaving me? Tell me if this is the truth, Oliver, and I can help you."

He had to smile. "Firstly, I'm not on drugs. Secondly, seriously, I promise, nothing has happened. Well, we almost kissed," he admitted; he was being truthful with her… almost. He didn't have to tell her that he _did_ kiss Katie. He had hardly even admitted that to himself. "But we didn't, I swear. She would never do that to anyone. And she knows about you. But she doesn't know how I feel about her."

Tears were beginning to spill from Shona's eyes now, as she realised there was no way they would stay together. "Tell me about her," she whispered. "Why do you love her and not me?"

Oliver shook his head in wonder. "I don't know what it is about her," he admitted. "I just... I liked her at Hogwarts. She was on my Quidditch team. I loved to watch her play, I loved the passion and focus she put into her game. And she's just the loveliest person you will ever meet, Shona, honestly. But she's three years younger. At Hogwarts, that seemed like such a long time. So I couldn't say anything to her. I tried to move on, but I saw her again today, and I hadn't, Shona. I still love her. It wouldn't be fair of me to ignore that, marry you and make you live with it every day."

"She... she sounds like a lovely girl," Shona choked out. "I... uh... I'd better go. Be happy, Oliver. I don't want you to have made a mistake. You wont hear from me again," she said, picking up her coat and heading for the fireplace.

"No, Shona, wait. You don't have to. At least finish your meal," he insisted, but she took a pinch of Floo powder and vanished in a whirl of green flames. She wouldn't stay in the room with him, not now she knew he had always loved another, even when they were together.

He heaved a sigh, and wondered whether he had really just done that, whether he had actually dumped Shona for a girl who he had once loved, and didn't even know if she was single!

Oliver placed his head in his hands, and began to think that he was going mad.

* * *

Katie was already waiting for him when he arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, two days later. He had written to her, asking her to meet him, for him to explain what had happened.

"Oliver, about the other day, I -"

He interrupted her. "Katie, I broke up with Shona."

Katie bit her lip. She gestured for him to sit down. "Come on, Oliver, think about what you're doing. You were _engaged_, you must really have felt something for her. You can't let one fleeting moment change that. Nothing happened, not really. And it's not like we have a history, is it?"

"But that's the thing, Katie, it wasn't just a fleeting moment!" he exclaimed, wondering if this was really happening, or if he had just made it up in his head. That was all that he kept wondering. "Katie, I need to tell you this. You don't have to feel the same way, but I'll never forgive myself if I don't say this. I'd wanted to do that for a long time. I've loved you pretty much ever since I can remember. But I couldn't tell you. I got with Shona to try and forget about you. To let you move on with your life. I'm three years older than you! You were young, and free! I didn't want to tie you down. And I was way too old for you. You deserved to have crushes your own age. There was no way you'd even spare me a thought." He saw the guilty look on Katie's face. "Was there?"

Katie took a deep breath. "Well actually, there was," she began. "I always looked up to you, Oliver, like an older brother. I don't know when my feelings changed into something more than that. But I never thought you would be interested in someone like me. And then you left, and I didn't know what to do. All the girls in my dorm would obsess over boys in my year, and I could never understand how they found them attractive. You were the only one for me, Oliver. I had a couple of boyfriends in Hogwarts, just because all my friends did, and they thought I was weird because I didn't. But nothing lasted long, and nothing has since, either." Oliver hardly dared to breathe. Was this true? "But that can't cloud your judgement, Oliver," she continued. "You need to think about what you're doing to Shona. You need to be sure, Oliver."

"I'm sure," he said, without hesitation. "Shona just doesn't _get_ me like you do. She doesn't get Quidditch. She doesn't get my love for it, my passion. You get that, Katie." He paused. "I love you." He decided that he may as well let her know. It wasn't like keeping it in would do either of them any good, would it?

"I love you too." The words slipped out of her lips, as though they had just been waiting to be wanted, and they hung in the air for a moment, Oliver processing the reciprocated feelings he wasn't sure existed.

He wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry; he had wasted years thinking they were not really right for one another – the memory outside the Quidditch store cupboard came back to him, and he realised that they had both been on the verge of confessing their love. It was all his fault that they had wasted five years, and broken Shona's heart in the meantime.

Then their lips came crashing together, across the table in the Leaky Cauldron this time and this was the moment they had been dreaming of for most of their lives. It seemed like something that was out of a fairytale, and they didn't care where they were, or who was watching them. They were the only two people that mattered. And they were together.

_ At last._

* * *

**A/N: Um. This is quite literally the longest thing I've ever written. I'd been looking for an excuse to write this pairing for ages, so when TWO challenges came along that I could relate it to, I got a little carried away...**

**Disclaimer: I am not J K Rowling, sorry to disappoint you ;)**

**This is for kci47's Secondary Character Challenge and Shira Lansys' Speed of Lightening Competition, both on HPFC. Thanks for the awesome challenges, both of you! :)**

**Massive thanks to Vicky (incandescent dreams) who beta'ed this for me at such short notice! You were a massive help :D**

**Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!**

**(This is a repost because I'm a perfectionist and I had to fix some mistakes.)**


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